American voters say 55 - 34 percent that Edward Snowden is a whistle-blower, rather than a
traitor, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today.

In a massive shift in attitudes, voters say 45 - 40 percent the government's anti-terrorism
efforts go too far restricting civil liberties, a reversal from a January 14, 2010, survey by the
independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University when voters said 63 - 25 percent that
such activities didn't go far enough to adequately protect the country.

Almost every party, gender, income, education, age and income group regards Snowden
as a whistle-blower rather than a traitor. The lone exception is black voters, with 43 percent
calling him a traitor and 42 percent calling him a whistle-blower.

There is a gender gap on counter-terrorism efforts as men say 54 - 34 percent they have
gone too far and women say 47 - 36 percent they have not gone far enough. There is little
difference among Democrats and Republicans who are about evenly divided. Independent voters
say 49 - 36 percent that counter-terrorism measures have gone too far.

Some of the largest growth in those concerned about the threat to civil liberties is among
men and Republicans, groups historically more likely to be supportive of governmental anti-
terrorism efforts.

"The massive swing in public opinion about civil liberties and governmental anti-
terrorism efforts, and the public view that Edward Snowden is more whistle-blower than traitor
are the public reaction and apparent shock at the extent to which the government has gone in
trying to prevent future terrorist incidents," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac
University Polling Institute.

"The fact that there is little difference now along party lines about the overall anti-
terrorism effort and civil liberties and about Snowden is in itself unusual in a country sharply
divided along political lines about almost everything. Moreover, the verdict that Snowden is not
a traitor goes against almost the unified view of the nation's political establishment."

When Quinnipiac University asked voters in January, 2010, whether they thought the
government had gone too far restricting civil liberties or not gone far enough to protect the
country, not more than 35 percent of any demographic group thought it had gone too far. Then,
Republicans said not far enough 72 - 17 percent; today GOP voters say not far enough 46 - 41
percent. Democrats went from not far enough 57 - 29 percent to too far 43 - 42 percent. Men
went from 61 - 28 percent not far enough to 54 - 34 percent too far. Women went from 64 - 22
not far enough to 47 - 36 percent not far enough.

"The change in public attitudes has been extraordinary, almost across the board and
obviously not just related to the revelation of the phone-scanning program, given all that has
transpired since 2010," said Brown. "Yet it would be naive to see these numbers as anything but
evidence of a rethinking by the public about the tradeoffs between security and freedom."

While voters support the phone-scanning program 51 - 45 percent and say 54 - 40
percent that it "is necessary to keep Americans safe," they also say 53 - 44 percent that the
program "is too much intrusion into Americans' personal privacy."

"Americans' views on anti-terrorism efforts are complicated," said Brown. "They see the
threat from terrorism as real and worth defending against, but they have a sense that their privacy
is being invaded and they are not happy about it at all."

From June 28 - July 8, Quinnipiac University surveyed 2,014 registered voters with a
margin of error of +/- 2.2 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public
opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Virginia,
Iowa, Colorado and the nation as a public service and for research.

For more information, visit http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling, call (203) 582-5201, or
follow us on Twitter.

41. What concerns you more about the government's anti-terrorism policies, that they have gone too far in restricting the average person's civil liberties, or that they have not gone far enough to adequately protect the country?

TREND: What concerns you more about the government's anti-terrorism policies, that they have gone too far in restricting the average person's civil liberties or that they have not gone far enough to adequately protect the country?